School Visit Resources

When I first got into this industry, I didn’t even realize that author/illustrator school visits were a thing! I had so much to learn about the craft of writing and illustrating books that I couldn’t even wrap my head around the concept of what could come after publication.

Since I’ve been lucky enough to have my first three books come out this year, school visits are suddenly on the radar. For the past few months, I’ve been studying up to make sure that my presentations offer students & teachers the best possible experience, and I’ve discovered some really fantastic resources. One of the best things about the kidlit world is that so many of the experts are very generous with their knowledge.

Here are a few of the many resources that I’ve discovered:

Alexis O’Neill’s School Visit Experts website has tons of great articles – she also writes a column for the SCBWI bulletin – The Truth About School Visits.

In addition to all of these resources, be sure to check out the websites of your favorite authors and illustrators. Many book creators list info about their school visits, and it’s super interesting to see what each person highlights when they discuss their presentations.

If you’ve checked out all of the above links and still feel like you need help, the Highlights Foundation offers a multiple-day workshop on Crafting Successful Author Visits – their next session runs in Spring 2019.

What other resources have you used when creating your school visits? Please share in the comments!